Chapter 20: The Core
The afternoon sunlight had softened somewhat, or rather, it had returned to its usual dimness. Every time after the Blood Night descended, the sun would burn exceptionally fiercely, but this heat only lasted for a single morning. After evaporating the dark aura left behind by the Blood Night on the land, the sun would revert to its somewhat dim appearance.
At this moment, within the vast farmlands of District 85 in the Outer City of Twilight City.
The harvested wheat fields were a blanket of withered yellow. The scattered wheat grains left on the ground attracted a large number of birds, mostly gray sparrows.
"This place is good. No signs of human habitation for over ten kilometers around."
Xier spoke, carrying two travel bags. As she let go, the two bags hit the ground with a heavy thud. Judging by the dull sound, the contents of these bags were very heavy.
Half an hour ago, through email messages, Brother Hen and Xier, who had learned of Su Xiao's plan, both set aside their current tasks and rushed over immediately.
The agreed-upon plan was that Brother Hen and Xier would be responsible for luring in the Absolute Strong Rank Battle Angel. The subsequent procedure was: first, let the target activate the quest item [ ], and then "discuss" the ownership of the Soul Coins with Brother Hen and Xier off to the side.
This was something Brother Hen and Xier had done many times, to the point where they could no longer activate [Emergency Aid (Authority)]. However, for the two of them, apart from not being able to fish for Battle Angels, there were no other repercussions.
"These three are..."
Xier looked at Molei, Yueshitu, and Haomei. She pushed up her glasses with a slightly evasive gaze. Before seeing the blood of an enemy, Xier appeared to be a shy, quiet girl with glasses, sporting a white single ponytail, giving off the impression of having social anxiety. But the moment she saw an enemy's blood, a red glow would begin to emanate from the center of her pupils.
"Molei."
Molei smiled, both full of vitality and with a hint of silly, joyful energy.
"Yueshitu."
Yueshitu gave a polite, faint smile. She generally disliked interacting with strangers; this was true social anxiety.
Haomei didn't introduce herself. Or rather, from a certain perspective, she had already introduced herself in her own way.
"You guys... hello... I'm... Xier."
Xier seemed a bit nervous. She walked over to Bubu Wang, crouched down beside him, and started petting his head. Bubu Wang tensed up; he had personally witnessed Xier's other mental state. He looked at Su Xiao and Baha, his eyes pleading, 'Save me!'
Su Xiao and Baha both pretended not to see. Molei noticed Xier's shy, quiet demeanor, and her own social butterfly tendencies gradually kicked in. After chatting for a while, Molei's impression of the Reincarnation Paradise Hunters greatly improved. Who said Hunters were either madmen or gods of slaughter? Wasn't there a perfectly nice person like Xier, whose voice was so gentle?
As for why Molei had never heard of Xier's reputation, that was normal. The survival rate for those who crossed paths with Xier was less than one percent.
"Xier, what type of ability system are you? I'm not being nosy, I just thought that if we ever got the chance, we could cooperate. I'm a Battle Angel, you're a Hunter; we both deal with Violators."
Molei, of course, wasn't completely fooled by Xier's shy appearance and gentle tone. She subtly probed about Xier's ability system. If the other party was an Assassination System, Poison System, Shadow System, etc., then the current demeanor was definitely an act.
"Healing Type."
Xier raised her hand, and a crimson energy appeared in her palm. The energy was so gentle and full of life that it clearly indicated Xier was a Healing Type.
Seeing this, Molei was stunned for a moment. She had prepared herself to be deceived, but she never imagined that there would actually be a Healing Type among the Hunters. This wasn't just emerging unstained from the filth; this was a pure, white little flower blooming in a sea of blood.
Then a thought arose in Molei's mind, causing her confusion: how did Xier, as a Healing Type, manage to survive as a Hunter until now?
"Xier, when is Brother Hen coming? By the way, you two have always been partners. How come you entered Blazing Sun Star first this time, and he came in later?"
Baha spoke. Hearing this, the confusion in Molei's mind was resolved. It was, of course, unreasonable for a pure Healing Type Hunter to survive to the Absolute Strong Rank. But having a notoriously fearsome partner made it all make sense.
However, Molei suddenly felt a bit worried for Xier. This shy, delicate girl, paired with the infamous Brother Hen, must be living in constant fear, right? What a pitiful and heartbreakingly good child.
If Brother Hen knew what Molei was thinking, his expression would probably be, 'Do you want to listen to yourself? Back then, I was sleeping soundly in my tent when I was suddenly woken by a sharp pain in my chest. Xier had stabbed me dozens, maybe even hundreds of times. Even now, at the Absolute Strong Rank, recalling that scene still gives me chills.'
And so, the cross-server conversation between Molei and Xier began. Xier talked about the interesting stories of partnering with Brother Hen, essentially narrating her history of tormenting Brother Hen. But to Molei's ears, it automatically transformed into Brother Hen's history of coercing Xier. It was no wonder; Brother Hen did have a notorious reputation.
Watching the two having their cross-server chat, Baha rubbed his face with his wings in exasperation. Compared to them, Bubu Wang, who was currently having his head petted by Xier, was in a more urgent state. His eyes clearly said, 'Save me, hurry up!'
Let's just say, Little Angel Molei was indeed misled this time. But it wasn't strange; that was just how Molei was. She would often, without realizing it, redeem the people around her in her own unique, silly way, and afterwards, she would be completely unaware of it.
By three in the afternoon, Brother Hen finally arrived, late. Beside him was a man with a bruised and swollen face, a pitiful expression, and a face that screamed "happy." This man was fat but not obese, his body fat having an elasticity like rubber, clearly indicating he was a Specialized Tank System. This type of Contractor could both fight and tank damage, as well as self-heal.
To simply describe his ability system: the more he got hit, the stronger he became. This type of ability user would accumulate the damage they received. When the accumulation reached its peak, they would unleash it all in a single attack. One-punch kills were most common among this type of ability user.
Unfortunately, this Guardian from the Watchful Paradise met Brother Hen. His name was Kai Zhu, a random code name he picked back at the First Rank, never expecting to use it all the way to the Absolute Strong Rank. When he tried to change his code name at the Eighth Rank, he found it was too late; his reputation was already established, and changing it would incur significant losses.
Kai Zhu's face was full of "willingness" and "eagerness" to be here. It seemed Brother Hen hadn't just beaten him up; it was a thorough thrashing. Kai Zhu looked around at the people present, first ignoring the three Battle Angels. In his mind, they were definitely fellow victims who had been dragged here too.
Why were Molei and the other two here? To be accomplices with Su Xiao and Brother Hen? Of course not. The three were here to observe how to fish for Battle Angels, just in case they ever encountered such a trap themselves.
Kai Zhu's gaze fell on Xier, causing his eyes to widen involuntarily. He had, of course, heard of Brother Hen beside him. Although terrifying, he was at least reasonable. But the seemingly fragile girl with glasses a few meters away was actually a Poison Milk System female madman, a terrifying Hunter who became completely unreasonable once she had a full smile on her face.
Kai Zhu suddenly felt a bit scared inside. He was just a Guardian who had recently advanced to the Absolute Strong Rank. What had he done to deserve being targeted by the "Poisonous Duo"? As for the name "Poisonous Duo," it came from Brother Hen's title combined with Xier's Poison Milk System ability.
With his perception sealed, Kai Zhu shifted his gaze and then saw Su Xiao sitting on a crystal seat. Suddenly, Kai Zhu's heart calmed. He looked up at the sky; it was quite clear, with a gentle breeze blowing. It was good weather for hitting the road. For a moment, scenes from his life seemed to flash before his eyes.
"What's this brother's name?" Baha flew forward enthusiastically to greet him.
"Kai Zhu."
Kai Zhu spoke, his eyes already dim, his tone calm, as he had already prepared himself for death.
"Brother, don't worry. We really don't have any ill intentions."
"..."
Kai Zhu looked at Baha with confusion. The words "no ill intentions" didn't seem to connect with Su Xiao, Brother Hen, and Xier standing there, leaving him feeling bewildered.
Ignoring the bewildered Kai Zhu, Su Xiao looked at Brother Hen beside him and asked, "Why capture him?"
Each had their own expertise. Su Xiao had no experience in fishing for Battle Angels.
"Use his authority to activate [Emergency Aid]."
"I have that authority..."
"With your Void Tree Reputation in the negatives, if you activate [Emergency Aid], even if you match with a Battle Angel, it would probably take days to match with one. And when they see it's a Hunter initiating [Emergency Aid], they'd most likely dare not accept it."
Hearing Brother Hen's words, Su Xiao opened his authority list and tried to activate the [Emergency Aid] authority.
[You have activated Emergency Aid. As you possess one free activation quota, this activation will not consume Space-Time Power.]
[Please select the faction of the reinforcement you wish to summon.]
[You have selected the reinforcement faction: Apocalypse Paradise (will randomly match a Battle Angel of the same rank).]
[Warning: Due to your extremely low Void Tree Reputation, the matching time will be significantly increased.]
[Matching...]
[Estimated matching time for this attempt: 659 years, 11 months, 28 days, 17 hours, 50 minutes —]
...
"So? Did you try? How many days will the matching take?" Brother Hen asked.
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. He simply materialized the matching time prompt.
"Even specifying the minutes, Void Tree's prompts are always so precise."
Brother Hen's focus was rather peculiar. Kai Zhu, who was nearby, saw this and felt his understanding of authority, judgment, and Void Tree Reputation being shattered and rebuilt.
"Let's start."
Brother Hen sent Su Xiao a team invitation. Su Xiao temporarily left the Dawn Team and joined a peculiar team named "Fishing Enthusiasts." This team was created by Brother Hen and had a team skill called [Authority Sharing].
Su Xiao didn't ask how Brother Hen built this team. Brother Hen quickly transferred the team leader position. Then, Su Xiao invited Kai Zhu into the team. This way, Kai Zhu could use the team skill [Authority Sharing] to temporarily activate Su Xiao's [Emergency Aid]. This resulted in the final applicant being a Guardian. The Battle Angel who matched would see a prompt indicating a Guardian was requesting reinforcement.
As for why they didn't just have the Guardian, Kai Zhu, activate his own [Emergency Aid], it wasn't that they didn't want to. Kai Zhu had no [Emergency Aid] quota left, and he couldn't use Space-Time Power to activate the authority either.
On the Watchful Paradise side, using [Emergency Aid] to recruit powerful teammates was a very common tactic. There were even Guardians who sold the remaining uses of this authority at high prices.
[Emergency Aid] was an authority with a limited stock. Su Xiao's [Emergency Aid] had 999 uses (accumulated to full stock). This was because he had never used this thing before, and Hunters from the Reincarnation Paradise side rarely activated this authority.
This authority had Void Tree as its core Notary. After Void Tree periodically distributed these quotas to the six major Paradises, the Reincarnation Paradise side had more than it could use. The resulting chain reaction was that Hunters had even more [Emergency Aid] uses in their stock. Interestingly, apart from Reincarnation Paradise and Death Paradise, the other four major Paradises were constantly running out of [Emergency Aid] authority uses.
Su Xiao had previously misunderstood one thing: the [Emergency Aid] stock of 999 uses was not a public stock shared by all Hunters; it was his personal stock!
When Kai Zhu successfully activated Su Xiao's [Emergency Aid] authority through the team skill [Authority Sharing] and saw the 999 uses in stock, his expression showed not only a crisis of faith but also a hint of bewilderment. He swore that his entire journey to the early Absolute Strong Rank had not been as thrilling as what he had seen and heard in this single hour.
Kai Zhu almost blurted out, "Are you three really Hunters?"
But fearing for his own safety, he swallowed the question. However, this experience was already unforgettable for him.
If Baha knew what Kai Zhu was thinking, he would definitely say to him earnestly, "Friend, you haven't met Kaisa yet. When you are 'fortunate' enough to meet him, you'll know what true limit-breaking operations are."
As Kai Zhu activated [Emergency Aid], Su Xiao, who was also in the team and was the leader, received a prompt.
[Prompt: Your temporary teammate has activated the [Emergency Aid] authority.]
[Reinforcement faction selected: Apocalypse Paradise (will randomly match a Battle Angel of the same rank).]
[Matching...]
[Estimated matching time for this attempt: 5 minutes 36 seconds.]
...
Looking at the countdown precise to the second, Su Xiao glanced at his own... no, wait. This time, after the "restocking" trip to the Soul Library, for some reason, Void Tree had judged him as the mastermind. His Void Tree Reputation had returned to -.
Su Xiao looked at his Void Tree Reputation, pondering if there was still a chance to salvage it. But then, thinking about the profit margin of the "restocking," he decisively gave up on salvaging his Void Tree Reputation.
When the countdown reached zero, a golden light appeared in the sky. A golden pillar of light descended, finally exploding with a bang. Golden particles scattered everywhere. Long golden hair, almost touching the ground, fluttered in the air. The newcomer raised her arms, as if performing a dancer's greeting to the audience.
"Guardian, I answer your call. As a Battle Angel..."
The newcomer's posture was elegant, her tone gentle yet slightly distant. However, the moment she saw the Guardian's bruised and swollen face, she realized things were not simple.
Battle Angel Zellina looked at the three people behind the Guardian. One carried a blood-red long blade, 1.6 meters long and four fingers wide. One was a bespectacled girl who looked shy and timid. One was a man with his right hand resting on the end of the hilt at his waist, expressionless, exuding a terrifying blood aura, like a monster.
Zellina had originally planned an elegant and magnificent entrance to establish her position as the team leader for this cooperation. But seeing this scene, her gaze gradually turned serious.
The good news was that she recognized all three of them from various channels, having seen their photos or heard of them. The bad news was that recognizing this nightmare combination shattered her composure. She immediately deduced that she had encountered a Battle Angel fishing operation. She had heard of this before, treating it as a joke over dinner. She never imagined she would become the protagonist of such a story today.
A mosquito reminds you: Bookmark, view the latest chapter content of "Reincarnation Paradise."
The first victim made a dazzling entrance. Su Xiao tossed the quest item [ ] to her and said concisely, "Activate it."
"No can do. My Void Tree Reputation isn't enough. I need 50,000, but I only have a little over 40,000..."
*Clang~*
The long blade was drawn. Dragon-Slashing Flash rested against Battle Angel Zellina's neck. Through the efficient lie detection of Dragon-Slashing Flash, it was confirmed that this Battle Angel indeed didn't have enough Void Tree Reputation.
Battle Angel Zellina successfully passed Su Xiao's test. Brother Hen greeted her with a smile, an expression he, a Technique Grandmaster, couldn't suppress when seeing Soul Coins.
"Let's make a deal. You pay Soul Coins, and we let you leave."
Hearing this, Battle Angel Zellina's heart sank. Expecting to be extorted for everything she had, she was ready to fight to the death.
"For the two of us, you pay 35,000 Soul Coins each."
Battle Angel Zellina was stunned. This was far from the total asset seizure she had imagined. She didn't react for a moment.
Brother Hen's price was set with great experience. If they were ruthless enough to demand her equipment or everything in her storage space, any Absolute Strong Rank would fight to the death.
If the price was too low, it would only make people think it was definitely a scam, and the other party would attack immediately after getting the Soul Coins. Setting the price at 70,000 Soul Coins made the other party willing to try, feeling that paying this amount was a bit painful, but the other party probably wouldn't take the Soul Coins and still attack.
"Go that way. That's the most prosperous district in the Outer City. The chances of picking up a random quest there are higher."
Brother Hen pointed south. Battle Angel Zellina, who had just handed over the Soul Coins, didn't know what to say for a moment.
"Hurry up and go. Oh, right, this is a hand-drawn map of Twilight City. It's a gift. Almost forgot about that."
"This..."
Battle Angel Zellina took the map of Twilight City. Only after walking a long distance did she turn back to look, only to see another golden pillar of light descending.
At the summoning point, golden light splattered everywhere. A muscular man, over three meters tall with muscles like marble sculptures, appeared. He made his entrance with a back-baring pose, then turned his head, grinning with a flash of teeth. Unfortunately, his smile froze the next second.
The muscular man scrutinized Brother Hen, Xier, and Su Xiao. He took out a booklet, opened the first page, and found the photos of the three on that very page. The cover of the booklet read: "Hunter, Death Ranger Danger Ranking."
"Gentlemen, may I request a one-on-one duel?"
The muscular man spoke with an exceptionally serious expression. Hearing this, no one spoke. Baha finally said, "Of course. Choose one of these three to duel."
The muscular man looked at Su Xiao, then at Brother Hen, and finally at the seemingly frail and timid Xier. He said firmly, "Her."
Two minutes later, the muscular man, now five meters tall and weighing over six tons, lay on the ground. Blood trickled from his mouth, his lips trembled, and his muscles seemed to have a mind of their own, writhing under his skin. His eyes were somewhat vacant.
Compared to the muscular man's physical pain, Molei, who was hiding nearby with her mouth agape, was experiencing a tremendous shock. She looked at Xier. Xier, who had returned to her normal state, noticed Molei's gaze and gave her a gentle smile. It was clear that Xier didn't dislike this silly girl and was open to being friends.
After Su Xiao's emergency treatment, the muscular man finally recovered. Su Xiao took out an inhibitor and administered it intravenously. The muscular man's body size gradually returned to normal.
Su Xiao tossed the quest item [ ]. The muscular man caught it, successfully activated it, and tossed it back to Su Xiao, along with the 120 ounces of Space-Time Power he had just gained.
After completing this, they entered the negotiation phase with Brother Hen. Brother Hen didn't mention Soul Coins. He crouched down, looked at the muscular man sitting on the ground, and said, "Don't you want to take back the power stolen by Haodao?"
Hearing this, the muscular man's muscles bulged. He pressed his hand against the circular mark on the left side of his chest. The mark was dark gold, branded not only into his skin and flesh but also deep into his soul.
This was the mark left by the Reincarnation Paradise Violator, Haodao, after defeating him. It was also a symbol of having part of his power taken. As long as this mark remained on the muscular man, one-fifth of the freely distributable True Attribute Points he obtained would be stolen through the ability's judgment. Moreover, this was a [Talent Ability] certified by Void Tree, not within the scope of illegal abilities, so it would naturally take effect accurately.
How many Battle Angels, Death Rangers, Guardians, Executioners, etc., had been branded with this mark? Only the Violator Haodao himself knew. Furthermore, this guy's [Illegal Ability] was to enhance his own "All Potential Limit Rank" by absorbing Attribute Points. Therefore, he was a complete monster. All five main attributes that could be enhanced with Attribute Points—Strength, Agility, Stamina, Intelligence, and Charm—had all reached the 800-point cap. Currently, this monster was in this world, undergoing a promotion to the Supreme Rank quest with Dawn Paradise characteristics.
How Violator Haodao triggered this quest was unknown for now. Thinking about it this way, Xier's arrival in Blazing Sun Star due to a Reincarnation Paradise quest, bringing along the last Dawn Paradise Contractor, Feng, might be related to this matter.
After entering this world, Violator Haodao was not being flashy. Was Haodao always low-key? Impossible. Haodao, who liked to use his fists to blow up enemies, was not a low-key person. The main reason was that the faction entering this world this time was truly too troublesome. The three good teammates were already enough to be wary of. Adding Shenfu, Platinum Apostle, and the Archbishop of the Abyss, three super old yinbis, only added fuel to the fire. Finally, there was Heimo, who had just crawled out of the shallow Abyss, and the three Executioner lackeys who entered later.
Violator Haodao was here to be promoted to the Supreme Rank. Seeing this lineup, he naturally chose to be low-key for once.
"You are strong, but you are no match for Violator Haodao."
The muscular man lowered his head. He had developed a psychological shadow from being beaten by Violator Haodao.
"Do you really think Haodao's ability only steals the Attribute Points you gain? That's just the process. When this mark on you forms a complete ring, you will be stripped of everything."
Hearing Brother Hen's words, the muscular man's eyes showed hesitation. But then, the video Brother Hen showed him made his gaze very dark. A few moments later, they left together.
Regarding dealing with Violator Haodao, Brother Hen did not invite Su Xiao. Su Xiao naturally wouldn't bring it up. Sometimes, offering help wasn't friendly enthusiasm. In the Paradise faction, everyone had their own trials and goals. Occasional cooperation was fine. Of course, before leaving, Brother Hen asked Su Xiao if this quest could be shared. Upon learning that there was no sharing option, he left with a hint of regret.
Su Xiao held the dark gold cube in one hand. As he activated it, the subsequent quest prompt appeared.
[You have activated the Chain Quest: Dark Moon Ritual (Final Stage).]
[Quest Content: Place this "Moonfall Core" on the activation device at the deepest point of the western side of the No-Light Zone to activate the "Dark Moon Ritual."]
[Quest Reward: Abyss Chest (★★★★★).]
[Note: This is the highest rank Abyss Chest.]